BDB Pitmans celebrates first solicitor to qualify through SQE

BDB Pitmans is delighted to announce the qualification of its first solicitor through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route.

As one of the first solicitors in the country to qualify via the SQE, Lizzie Egan, currently a paralegal in the firm’s Cambridge office, will qualify as solicitor this September having passed her exams at the end of last month.

Prior to the launch of the SQE route in September 2021, aspiring solicitors in England and Wales needed to acquire a law degree (or top up a non-law degree by taking a Graduate Diploma in Law), followed by the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and two years of work-based training. The introduction of the SQE is the first amendment to the qualification process in over three decades.

The SQE consists of two parts: SQE1 entails 10 hours of assessment over two days and is designed to test functioning legal knowledge. SQE2 tests legal skills and is made up of 16 sections – 12 written and four oral.

In addition to holding a degree or equivalent level 6 qualification and having completed two years of qualifying work experience, SQE students must also sit a suitability test.

Of her experience, Lizzie said: “It’s a pleasure to be the first SQE graduate to qualify at BDB Pitmans. The flexibility offered by the SQE as opposed to the traditional means of qualifying, has been welcome. The examinations required a lot of discipline but I found it a very rewarding experience.”

Andrew Smith, Managing Partner at BDB Pitmans commented: “The SQE system was in part created to help boost diversity and inclusion within the legal sector. As a firm that strongly supports social mobility, BDB Pitmans hopes that the SQE system will remove barriers, help bring more diverse talent in to the firm and open up further opportunities for all who wish to practise the law, no matter their background or circumstances.”